These days, a resume is becoming less and less effective at telling employers what they really need to know about a candidate before hiring them. Having the same job title at a previous company does not mean they actually did the same tasks or even know how to use the same software that you use.
Pre-employment assessments, however, can do what a resume no longer can. In fact, they can do even more. Here are 10 reasons why pre-employment assessments are a smart idea for businesses.
1. They can assess skill level
Theoretically, anyone who has ever used Powerpoint can technically list it as a skill on a resume. Knowing how to open and close a Powerpoint file is a whole different issue from knowing how to create slides, set a presentation to music, or insert video, however. Pre-employment or pre-hire assessments can show you what a candidate’s actual skill level is.
2. They can tell you whether the employee is a good fit for the company culture
The ability to perform certain tasks efficiently is not the only qualification a prospective employee needs to do well at your company. Fitting in with company culture is also critical. Personality profiles and other types of assessments can help you determine if a candidate will work well within the framework of your company culture.
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3. They can assess customer and client interaction potential
One of the big challenges for any customer facing role is that companies can’t always determine in advance how well employees are going to work with customers. Hiring the wrong employee can cost some businesses some time and energy, but when other businesses hire the wrong employee it can actually cost them customers. Personality profiles and other assessments can also tell you how a candidate is likely to respond to an irate or irrational customer.
4. They can assess leadership potential
Some employers are looking for leaders to grow with their company. Other employers may be specifically looking for people who will not step up and take charge but can simply follow directions well instead. Pre-employment assessments can help you determine which is which.
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5. They can assess problem solving skills
Many businesses want employees who can critically think through a situation and act independently when no one is around to give them instruction. In other cases, businesses may specifically want employees who do not make decisions on their own, but will instead wait to be given instruction. Screening assessments can help you find exactly what you are looking for.
6. They can tell you things about a candidate the candidate may not know about themselves
When you are reading a resume or even asking a candidate about themselves in an interview, you are only getting an idea of what the candidate thinks of themselves. In some cases, they may over-estimate their abilities and in others they may actually underestimate them. Assessments can give you a more accurate picture of a candidate’s true qualifications than they can sometimes give you themselves.
7. They are free from bias
As much as we all want to believe we are all capable of being totally unbiased, the truth is, we all have and make decisions based heavily on our own personal biases. There are certainly ways businesses can counteract these innate biases in the hiring process and pre-employment assessments are one of them.
8. They can help you understand potential
A resume can tell you what a candidate has already done, but it can’t tell you what their potential is. They may tell you they pick up new software programs “quickly” but how quickly is quickly? The truth is, in the fast-paced world of business, you need employees that can pick up new skills quickly and adapt to constantly changing environments. Pre-employment assessments can help you find those employees.
9. They give you a more accurate picture of who a candidate is than social media
Employers have long been accessing social media profiles as a means to gain a more full and well rounded picture of who candidates are. Even social media, however, can only tell you the kind of image the individual wants to present. In addition, just because a person may like to cut loose and have a good time on the weekends, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a serious, sober, hard worker during the week. That just may not be something they plaster on social media.
10. They can tell you if the candidate has the right temperament for the job
Employees who have to work with small children or the elderly need to have a completely different temperament from employees who only have to deal with coworkers or those who work remotely. “Temperament” can be difficult to determine in an interview or from a resume, but it is just one more thing that can actually be tested for in a pre-employment assessment.
If you are interested in learning more about pre-employment assessments, visit https://www.berkeassessment.com/.
